Altered Fate
by Amras Felagund
Summary: An alternate ending of Sonic Heroes. What if the Metal Overlord WON? Rated M for graphic violence, bloodshed and harsh language. Part 3 up!
1. Part I

(**NOTE:** To all those who read my other stories, you may be wondering why I suddenly decided to write a Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction. It seems I am 'burning out', writing stories for the same characters over and over and over again. So I decided to write this story early to begin anew and refresh myself. Also, you may want to have played the Last Story in Sonic Heroes, as this is an alternative ending of the game. Don't wanna spoil anyone. Which is why I'm writing _Mao-Chan: Volume I_ anyway. Enjoy!)

_**ALTERED FATE**_

_**I**_

"Defeated! Impossible! Nooooo!"

Team Chaotix watched as the Egg Emperor collapsed before them, engulfed in explosions. When the explosions faded, the Egg Emperor was burnt black, a shattered, useless pile of scrap metal.

"Yeah! Our work is done!" shouted the hyper bee Charmy, buzzing round Espio the Chameleon and Vector the Crocodile.

Suddenly, the top half of the Egg Emperor fell off, and out of the center of the machine rolled Dr. Eggman. He lay still before them, not moving.

"Is he... dead?" asked Espio, walking up to Eggman. Unexpectedly, a Eggman-head on a spring popped out of Eggman's stomach. With a "Muhahahaha..." the Eggman-head reentered his body, but it was all the proof they needed.

"Guess he was a fake after all..." Vector thought aloud.

"What do you mean 'after all'?" asked Espio.

The radio in Vector's hand burst to life. "Of course he was a fake all along!" came the voice of their client. "Anyway, good job, Team Chaotix! Mission complete! Now, locate cell block 1138. From there, go down the left corridor until you reach cell 327. I'm in there."

And the Chaotix ran off towards the cell block.

* * *

Barely a minute later, Team Dark ran up to the Egg Emperor wreckage. Shadow stared at the phony Eggman, a pool of silver liquid beneath it, with a grim resolve. Rouge was somewhat shocked at what the three of them had done to Eggman. Omega, however, just remarked in his monotone robotic voice, "_Eggman target, completely destroyed._"

As he said this, Rouge turned away from the wreckage. As she did, she spotted a small, insignificant door on the side of the tower topped with Eggman's head. However, it was labeled with a sign that made Rouge smirk. She ran up to it. Omega and Shadow turned, seeing her opening the rather small door.

"Go see what she's up to," commanded Shadow. Omega hovered after Rouge, and Shadow stood at the edge of the Air Base, looking out at the hundreds of fish-ships that made up the Egg Fleet.

Rouge muttered to herself, as the door opened. "Now let's find that secret treasure..." When the door opened fully, she gasped.

The room inside was massive. Row upon row upon row of Secret Weapon Capsules filled the room, green glow from within bathing the room in an emerald hue. But what shocked Rouge was... there was a Shadow in each one! Though they each looked exactly like Shadow, their eyes were a black visor, the lenses a transparent red. Rouge had only seen this type of photoreceptor in one other place: in data files on Metal Sonic.

The door opened behind Rouge. "_Shadow unit requests to know the reason behind your running off,_" droned Omega. As Omega scanned the area, he readied his weapons. "_Prepare to destroy immediate area!_"

"Hey, Omega..." said Rouge. "Did I ever tell you that Shadow is a robot, and..." Rouge found herself trailing off. "Oh, never mind. Good luck!"

As Rouge listened to Omega's reasoning that the original must exist somewhere for the process of cloning to occur, Rouge left the room. On the way out, she noticed something unusual: two of the capsules near the door were empty.

* * *

Team Rose approached the wreckage of the Egg Emperor. As soon as they stopped, Eggman's entire body turned a uniform silver.

"What!" Amy shrieked, causing Cream, Cheese and Big to jump slightly. "This one was phony, too?"

"Amy, please calm down!" Cream yelled, trying to keep Amy from hurting someone. "Look!"

As the phony Eggman melted into liquid, two shapes emerged from it. One was...

"Froggy!" Big shouted joyfully, running up and picking Froggy.

And the other was a small, brown-colored Chao. Instantly, Cheese flew over, and the two Chao spiralled around each other, squeaking, "Chao chao chao chao!"

"I'm so glad for you, Cheese," Cream said. The two Chao chirped in unison, "Amy chao-chao!" And Team Rose laughed at their victory.

"Hey," Cream pointed somewhere behind Amy. "Isn't that Mr. Sonic over there?" Before Cream could even finish saying it, Amy was off and running.

"HA! I gotcha, Sonic! SONIC!" Sonic heard Amy and ran off, leaving Tails and Knuckles behind.

"Amy, wait for us!" shouted Cream, running off after Amy, Cheese, Chocola, and Big, with Froggy on his head, trailing behind her.

* * *

Team Chaotix ran down the corridor in cell block 1138. Actually, Vector was doing the running, and Espio and Charmy were just trying to keep up. When asked why, Vector just said, "The sooner we collect our reward, the better!"

Suddenly, the Chaotix's client squawked, his voice filled with horror, "Come on! Hurry up, you buffoons! Eggman's agents are going to kill me!"

At this, Vector picked up the pace. As Espio and Charmy sped up, Charmy whined"Vector, my wings are getting tired! Can I sit down?"

"Sure, you can sit down..." replied Vector. "When we rescue the client!"

"Awww..." cried Charmy. "You can ride on my shoulder if you want," offered Espio, twiddling a shuriken between his fingers. At once, Charmy yelled "Yay!" And sat down on Espio's shoulder.

"323... 325... 327!" Vector counted. They saw an open cell door, labelled '327', and walked in. They gasped.

In the middle of the room was Dr. Eggman, a bit of stubble on his chin and a look of sheer terror on his face. Standing in front of him were two identical hedgehogs, each one black with red stripes on their quills. They didn't notice the Chaotix, as their backs were to the doorway, but Eggman did.

"Hey, Espio! Look," Vector whispered, pointing at Eggman's hand. Espio looked; he saw a radio identical to the one their client sent them through the mail.

"I knew it," Vector muttered.

Espio was shocked. "You knew it was him all along?"

Vector grinned, "It's all part of bein' a good detective."

_We were fooled that easily?_ Espio thought.

"You're ROTTEN!" Charmy shouted. Immediately, Vector put his hand over Charmy's mouth, yelling, "Whaddya doin', be quiet!"

Though the hedgehogs didn't seem to notice or even hear the Chaotix, Eggman looked up at them. Eggman mouthed to them "Save me."

"Will do, 'client'," replied Vector, cracking his knuckles. Before he could bash the hedgehogs' heads in though, Espio stopped him.

"Vector, what are you doing? Dr. Eggman's a villian!" Espio warned.

"He's also our client," Vector countered. "And you know we need to pay the rent. The bills are pilin' up, for cryin' out loud!"

Espio sighed after a brief pause, grinning, "You're never gonna change, Vector. Be careful."

Vector nodded, then turned to Eggman and the hedgehogs. "Hey, pinheads! Wanna piece'a me?"

At once, the two hedgehogs turned, and the Chaotix gasped. Though they looked like regular hedgehogs, their eyes looked like Metal Sonic's did on Carnival Island (for more info: play 'Knuckles Chaotix').

_These hedgehogs are Eggman's robots? _Espio thought bemusedly.

"Cause I'm gonna get a piece'a you!" Vector finished, pulling his fists back for a knockout blow. However, the hedgehog closest to Vector punched him forcefully, sending him flying backwards. Vector crashed into Espio and Charmy, and the Chaotix flew out the doorway. They landed with a CRASH outside the cell.

"Damn, he packs a punch," Vector muttered. He rubbed the bruise on his chest. Vector growled slightly as he began to approach cell 327.

"_Reactivate the cell bars,_" spoke one of the hedgehogs, his voice dark and mechanical. "_Roger, roger,_" nodded the other hedgehog, and the doorway was filled with crisscrossing red lasers, the smell of ozone filling the air.

"ARGH!" yelled Vector, approaching the laser-field angrily. He brought his fist back. As he realized what Vector was going to do, Espio cried, "NO!" Too late. Vector swung his arm at the laser-gate. With a cry of pain, Vector brought his arm - or what was left of it - up to his eyes. His hand was severed between his wrist and his elbow, but not bleeding due to cauterization from the lasers. Vector's severed hand, still clenched in a fist, lay between the Metal Shadows and the lasers.

"Vector, what happened to your hand?" asked Charmy, flying over to Vector's wounded arm. As he caught sight of the stump of an arm that Vector had, he let out a genuine gasp of shock.

"CHAOTIX, SAVE M- AUUGKH!" shouted Eggman, but his plea was cut off as a Shadow hovered up to him and grabbed him by the throat. "_Silence, you slab of meat,_" muttered the Shadow who was beginning to strangle the Emperor of the Eggman Empire.

"Uhh, Espio, a little help here?" wheezed Vector, still shocked by the loss of his hand.

"Way ahead of you," said Espio, throwing his shuriken straight at the Shadow choking their client. The shuriken got him square in the back of the neck. The Shadow let go of Eggman as electricity engulfed its form. After a moment, the Shadow fell to the ground, eyes black.

"WHOO-HOO! Thanks, Espio!" cheered Charmy, flying in loop-the-loops over Espio and Vector.

"_For every Shadow you destroy,_" droned the other Shadow, catching the Chaotix's attention. "_Another three will rise up in their place. The Overlord shall see to it that all difference is eliminated. CHAOS SPEAR!_" A bolt of lemon-yellow lightning suddenly shot from his fingertips. Vector cried out in shock and pain as the Chaos Spear struck him in the chest and came out the other side. Blood splattered over Espio and Charmy as Vector fell to the ground. He let out one last moan...

...and lay perfectly still, the light leaving his eyes.

By impulse, Espio grabbed Charmy by the wrist.

"Come on, Charmy. We're going," commanded Espio, a tear falling from his face at the loss of such a close friend.

"But what about Vector?" Charmy protested. "We can't leave him, Espio! And our client!"

"Vector's gone, Charmy," replied Espio. "And Eggman will go with him if I'm not mistaken. We have to get outta here, and I'm taking you with me, whether you like it or not!" And Espio carried away a wailing Charmy, leaving Vector's body behind.

When he was sure the remaining members of the Chaotix were gone, Metal Shadow turned to Eggman. With a Chaos Spear to his legs, he brought Eggman to his knees. Eggman panted heavily, having put up with this torture for the past three days. Today, however, would be different. He knew that Metal would not make his move for an empire ruled by robots until he was executed.

Today was Eggman's execution day.

Metal Shadow removed his glove, revealing a mechanism resembling the hand of a skeleton. A small vial full of a strange, purple fluid was visible inside his glass palm.

With a sadistic grin, Metal Shadow drove his sharp fingertips into Eggman's neck. Eggman didn't try to resist; not that resisting would get him anywhere anyway. Eggman felt the lethal toxin enter his blood system, and almost instantly felt signs of wooziness. Within seconds, Eggman felt his heart clenching and each breath became quite a task.

Metal Shadow watched as Eggman began to droop slightly, the blood draining from his face. In less than a minute, the Emperor of the Eggman Empire was no more. He met his end not in a glorious battle with his rival Sonic, as he would have wanted, but at the hands (literally) of his own creations. Metal Shadow chuckled at this irony.

Metal Shadow deactivated the laser-bars to cell 327 and approached a hologram projector nearby.

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	2. Part II

_**ALTERNATE FATE**_

_**II**_

_Team Sonic data..._

_Team Dark data..._

_Team Rose data..._

_Team Chaotix data..._

_And Chaos data, have been successfully copied._

A streamlined form rose from the pool of liquid metal that was the fake Eggman. As color returned to the metal monster, a booming voice was heard...

"_All life form data, successfully copied_," spoke Metal Sonic. "_It is time._" As he prepared to activate his army of destruction, Metal realized there was an intruder in the 'Treasure Room'. Metal brought up his data file on the intruder. If he could have smirked, he would have.

"_I guess your 'master' should teach you a lesson you'll never forget,_" Metal muttered evilly. As Metal activated his army, a beeping sound alerted him. He was receiving a message from Drone 21-87. As he activated his hologram projector, the fritzing image of a Metal Shadow appeared before him. The Metal Shadow bowed deeply.

"_What news have you, #21-87?_" rumbled Metal Overlord.

"_My master, Eggman is dead,_" 21-87 replied. "_The Chaotix interfered and destroyed #08-49, but I killed Vector the Crocodile in retaliation._"

"_Excellent work, #21-87. I have a job for you now._"

21-87 replied shakily, "_Wh-what is thy bidding, my master?_"

"_I have just activated my army,_" Metal boomed. "_Prepare for our assault on Station Square, _General _21-87._"

"Thank you, my metal Overlord," finished 21-87 as his holo-image disappeared.

The Overlord shouted, "_CHAOS CONTROL!_" and disappeared in a green haze.

* * *

"_The original must exist somewhere_," Omega said, walking into the depths of the room. After a minute or two, Omega decided that he needed a little light in the room. Although the red glow of Omega's eyes let him see, it wasn't enough to tell how much farther he had to go.

The overhead fluorescent lights suddenly activated, causing the green glow in the capsules to dim. Now that the room was fully lit, Omega could see the true size of this army of Shadow cyborgs. There were thousands, maybe millions of doubles that filled the gargantuan room. At the same time, a low hum filled the room, and the Shadow duplicates' eyes glowed red, eyes identical to Metal Sonic's.

Instantaneously, many of the capsules burst open, the Shadow robots leaping at Omega. Omega reacted quickly, firing on them with his machine gun-fingers. Though the barrage destroyed at least a dozen Robo-Shadows, there were still too many.

Omega swung around, firing every bit of ordnance he had left in his arsenal. Although this wiped out a considerable number of Shadows, it was still a melee of metallic madness.

Omega swung his clawed hand across, damaging a number of Shadows. Unfortunately, two Shadows grabbed his arm and, with a great heave, tore it from his frame.

At once, countless Shadows repeatedly delivered Homing Attacks to Omega, pummeling him from all directions. The sound of whooshing wind and buckling metal echoed through the room. After a minute, Omega shut down, but the Shadows continued the assault. When they stopped, Omega was hardly recognizable. Holes covered his body, paint almost completely chipped off.

Suddenly, a single order from the Overlord ran through their CPUs: "_At ease..._" As one, all of the Shadows snapped to attention, awaiting further orders.

A few moments later, 21-87 walked into the room. He now had both his gloves removed, a yellow, spiky badge on his chest that designated him as General. He looked at the true scale of the army he was commanding with awe. _Perfect_, he thought as an evil smirk crossed his face. _This will go well._

_

* * *

_

"What the heck was that!" Sonic shouted. He was just running from Team Rose, Tails and Knuckles running alongside him, when a flash of green light caught his eye. Sonic skidded slightly, changed direction and ran toward the Central Tower, where another green flash was seen.

_Is that the Chaos Control?_ Sonic thought to himself.

Suddenly, Shadow and Rouge ran up next to him.

"You saw it too, Sonic?" asked Shadow as he skated forward.

"You betcha," replied Sonic, flashing a grin before resuming a serious expression. "But we're the only ones who can _use_ the Chaos Control."

"That's what scares me, Sonic," muttered Shadow as Espio and Charmy, still bawling, caught up to them.

"_Hmmhmmhmmm..._" chuckled a low voice that boomed down at them as they stopped before the Tower. The voice came from the top of the kilometre-tall tower, yet carried all the way down to their level. There stood a small figure, only about three feet tall.

"Gasp! The Master Emerald!" shouted Knuckles, fist shaking slightly.

"What?" asked Sonic.

"The Master Emerald!" Knuckles yelled impatiently. "Eggman stole it just before we got that letter."

Sonic gasped in realization, "Ohh, so _that's_ why you came with u-"

"_All living things, kneel before your master and Overlord!_" the being called to the skies, interrupting Sonic. The clouds were now roiling as if being swept by a turbulent wind, some even forming as if out of nowhere. These gathering clouds began to block the sky and sun completely. Great bolts of lightning lit the sky as thunder filled the ears of all for miles around.

Suddenly, a blast of blue lightning issued from the peak of the tower where the small figure was. Sonic clenched his fist, ready for anything. After a few moments, the blue lightning formed a large ball of electricity in the middle of a hole in the clouds.

Minutes passed. Sonic began to wonder if this was some scam by Eggman. Just when Sonic thought the ball lightning would never come down...

_THOOOOM!_

It happened in an instant. A flash of emerald light was quickly followed by the lightning striking the Tower, blowing the top half to pieces. An evil cackle filled the air as a whirlwind formed over the tower, throwing sheets of steel every which way. Amy cried out, covering her mouth with her hands.

Cream cried out in fear as well. A large plate of metal was flying towards her. Cream braced herself as Cheese and Chocola flew in the plate's path, ready to protect Cream no matter the cost.

Suddenly, a large hammer knocked the metal plate away. Amy walked up from behind Cream and picked up her Piko Piko Hammer. "Thank you, Amy," Cream said, bowing politely.

"Don't mention it," replied Amy slyly. But out of nowhere another, even larger plate was flying in their direction. Amy pulled out her hammer once more as everyone braced themselves for the inevitable...

...when suddenly, a strange force pulled the metal plate away from them. The whirlwind was increasing its intensity, as was the volume of the mechanical laughter filling the air.

The whirlwind picked up every piece of metal that lay strewn about from the blast. Many flew into the core of the twister; the rest circled the creation like a makeshift cocoon. The sound of metal crashing filled the air, deafening along with the booming laughter of the Overlord. No one dared do anything, too transfixed by the display to do anything.

After a few minutes, the clanging and clashing ceased, and the metal plates remaining fell to the ground. As Sonic caught sight of the monstrosity...

"HOLY CRAP!"

...a dark roar filled their ears as the great blue dragon stared down at them with Its burning red eyes. Eyes that Sonic recognized as Metal Sonic's. The Master Emerald was mounted in Its chest, pulsing like a beating heart.

"Is that Metal Sonic!" cried Sonic, eyes wide in recognition.

"He looks scary..." whimpered Tails, being comforted by Knuckles. "Don't worry, Tails. We beat this guy before. We can beat him again."

"Impossible," muttered Espio. "I thought we beat him at Carnival Island."

"I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR KILLIN' VECTOR!" shrieked Charmy, buzzing toward Metal Sonic as swiftly as his wings could carry him.

"Stop, you fool!" cried Shadow, hand outstretched. "You'll be killed!"

"AHH! Someone, stop him!" yelled Amy, frozen to the spot in terror.

Cream turned to Big. "Can you catch him with your fishing rod, Mr. Big?"

"Okie-dokie!" replied Big, preparing to cast his reel at the kindergarten bee.

"_Insolent fool!_" boomed the dragon, pointing a single claw from His left hand at Charmy. A swift ray of emerald light blasted at Charmy, striking him in a blink of an eye.

"NO!" screamed Espio, running forward. He had already lost two of his friends; he wasn't losing another one. As he ran, memories of the past flashed before his eyes...

* * *

_"Mighty, hold on!" cried Espio as he ran towards the two fighting furries at the side of the building. Mighty and a purple weasel called Nack were engaged in a hand-to-hand fight just on the other side of the roof. One false step, and both of them would fall to their death hundreds of feet below._

_Espio prepared to throw a shuriken at Nack, when Mighty clutched his stomach in pain and a muted gunshot rang in everyone's ears. But Nack was not holding a gun; he'd been disarmed early in his brawl with Mighty. On top of the stairwell was another purple weasel, this one a girl, Nack's younger sister Nic. In her left hand was a smoking gun._

_"Why'd you do that?" asked Nack, glaring at Nic with jealousy._

_Nic smirked slyly, "You were struggling. You would have taken forever to kill him."_

_Nack grinned evilly, "I was just lulling him into a false sense of secuAGGHH!"_

_In an instant, a shuriken was embedded in Nack's throat, silencing him. Nic suffered a similiar fate, clutching the star-shaped dart that severed her bronchial tube. Almost simultaneously, Nack fell off the edge of the skyscraper, and Nic fell to the ground with a thud. After a few seconds, a low THUD drifted up from the street, followed by several screams of horror and 'MURDER!'._

_Espio looked down at Mighty, but saw now that he was already dead. Espio ran towards the armadillo's body, tears streaming down his face. He got down on his knees, soaking them in Mighty's blood, and cradled Mighty's body in his arms. Espio let out a scream, "NOOOOOOO..."_

* * *

"...OOOOOOOO!" Espio dashed the fastest his legs would carry him to catch Charmy's falling body, tears pouring freely from his eyes. The chameleon began to pant, sweat forming all over his body. The distance between Charmy and the ground was closing fast.

80 feet.

60 feet.

20 feet.

If Espio didn't catch Charmy, the bee would land on the spear of a fallen Eggbot. Espio held out his arms to catch the young Charmy-

_SCHLAK!_

Espio froze. Charmy lay there, impaled through the heart by the spear, an expression of pain and horror on his face. If he wasn't dead before, he was now. A ruby-red Chaos Emerald fell from his hand. Espio picked it up.

Espio glared at the dragon. "You bastard," he growled, and he startled all with the sheer hatred and ferocity they heard in his words. Suddenly, Espio pulled out a long katana, which flashed with every bolt of lightning. In his other hand, he held Charmy's Emerald, and a cyan Chaos Emerald of his own.

"YOU FUCKIN' BASTARD!" shrieked the chameleon, running at inhuman speeds towards Metal, his katana glimmering with light-purple fire. He began running _up the side of the tower_; such was his anger at the dark dragon at the summit. He leapt into the air, prepared to cleave the bestial parody of Sonic the Hedgehog in two; for he could never forgive Metal Sonic for what He did to Charmy, nor would he ever forget it.

Things quickly went awry.

Metal raised His right hand, which was a claw, and let loose a blast of emerald-green Chaos Fire. Espio had no time to register anything but surprise as his body was engulfed by the blast. When the blast faded, all saw that the Chaotix chameleon was burned black, his katana melted completely. The two Chaos Emeralds he had glowed innocently in his hand, unharmed by the blast. His burnt body fell to the ground, cracking as it landed. The dwindling group rushed up to see if he was alive - something that was apparently not so when they saw Espio's corpse.

Espio's skin had been burned off completely; all that was left was his skeleton, which was itself burned charcoal-black. His skeletal hand still clutched his Chaos Emerald and Charmy's. Shadow, looking away so as to not upset his stomach, took the two Emeralds, adding them to his green one.

"_Now... what other fool dares to challenge me?_" The Metal Overlord boomed down to them, His gravelly voice resonating deeply in their ears.

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

(**Note: **A reply to a few reviews:

**Ri2** - No, I didn't know that Deem Bristow passed away until you told me. Must be a case of art imitating life. Rest in peace, Deem Bristow. You will be missed.

**Tylec Asroc** - I had this unbearably gory from the beginning, but I will make it moreso, borderline NC-17, for your sake. And yes, I am a Star Wars fan. Looking forward greatly to Revenge of the Sith in two months.

**Shade-The-Hedgehog** - You are so right!

Anyway, read and review! It will be much appreciated!)


	3. Part III

_**ALTERED FATE**_

_**III**_

Teams Sonic, Dark (minus Omega), and Rose stared up at the mechanical monstrosity before them. The sky was far darker than it was just ten minutes ago; the clouds were pitch-black, and seemed to absorb all light that touched them. This light was then released as deadly bolts of lightning that forked across the sky in erratic patterns. Rain poured down from the clouds as though the heavens themselves were distraught by the birth of this metal god.

Cream turned away from the Metal Overlord, trying to avoid His gaze. Whenever His eyes met hers, she felt a chill sweep her, and an overwhelming fear that all good things in life would come to a bitter end.

"I'm scared, Mr. Big," Cream whimpered, burying herself in his fur.

"Chao chao," agreed Cheese and Chocola.

"Don't worry," replied Big. "I'm here to protect you."

"He changed a lot since the Little Planet," Amy said, a look of awe and terror on her face.

"Just because you have the Master Emerald again doesn't mean you're gonna beat us," Knuckles muttered, more to himself than Metal.

"Sonic, we gotta find a way to beat Metal Sonic!" Tails stated the obvious.

"I know, Tails! But how?" Sonic pondered, scratching his head.

"He'll pay for stealing the Master Emerald from me!" Rouge declared.

"Hmph... even a robot god can't stop me!" Shadow mumbled.

"_Who dares to challenge me?_" Metal Overlord roared. "_I am the ultimate overlord, and you pathetic fools have no chance of defeating me! So amuse me, and rebel against my rule!_"

Suddenly, Sonic had an epiphany. He turned to the others and whispered, "Okay, guys! I have an idea to whoop this guy, but we need the seven Chaos Emeralds and 50 rings!"

Amy's eyes widened, "Sonic, no! You'll get killed!"

"I'll be fine," Sonic smirked.

"I'm going with you, too!" Tails protested, and Sonic looked over in shock.

"You can count me in, too!" Knuckles agreed.

Sonic, eyes wide as well, said, "Okay, then! Now we need _150_ rings and the seven Emeralds!"

Cream blinked, then held out the yellow Emerald. "Here you go, Mr. Sonic."

Big handed Sonic the purple Emerald. "Duh, here's the pretty Emerald, Sonic."

Shadow handed Sonic the green Emerald he found, and the cyan and red Emeralds that Espio and Charmy had collected. "I don't see what good it'll do; after all, _you_ aren't the ultimate life form. Still, good luck; you're gonna need it."

Rouge held out the silver Emerald she found, albeit very reluctantly. "It's a pity to give away a perfectly good jewel. Still, if it's for a good cause..."

"Wait, Mr. Sonic!" Cream shouted. Sonic looked over, and asked, "What's wrong, Cream?"

"You only have six Emeralds," she said. "We don't have time to get the last one."

"I do," Sonic grinned, pulling out a blue Emerald. Everyone's hopes rose; they had the seven Chaos Emeralds.

Sonic turned to the Metal Overlord. "We can beat you, Metal! We challenge your new empire!"

Metal looked at Sonic disbelievingly, and growled, "_You puny hedgehog! What makes you think you could defeat me if your friends couldn't?_"

"We don't _think_ we can beat you, Metal Sonic," Sonic retorted. "We _know_ we can beat you! Right, Tails, Knuckles?"

"Right!" Tails and Knuckles agreed.

"_The name 'Metal Sonic' no longer has any meaning for me_," snarled the dragon. "_My name is now and forever will be Metal Overlord!_"

"Yeah, sure," Sonic said. "But, ya gotta give us about 10 minutes to get ready. Deal?"

A long silence fell on them. The lightning itself seemed muted now. The blue dragon before them had His left hand to His jaw in thought. After almost a minute of tension, the Overlord looked back at them.

"_Very well_," said the Overlord. "_I have waited several months for my revenge. What's a few minutes? Go on. Ten minutes; no more, no less. If you are but one second late, your friends here will pay!_"

"Alright," Sonic gave a thumbs-up to the Overlord, then turned to Amy. She noticed that he seemed to be looking into her eyes more deeply than he ever did.

"Take care of yourself, Amy," he said. Then he did something that he never thought he would do: he _kissed Amy on the lips!_ After he realized what he was doing, though, he pulled away quickly. The two hedgehogs had a slight blush on their faces, though Amy's was stronger.

After a tense silence, Sonic regained his composure. "Anyway, let's go, guys!"

"Okay!" Tails said.

"Alright!" Knuckles said.

And the three dashed off to collect the 150 rings necessary for them to go Super.

"And now we wait," Shadow muttered, crossing his arms and looking serious. The others got comfortable, hoping that Team Super Sonic would defeat the Metal Overlord swiftly. Amy just shuffled through her tarot cards, trying to predict the future. However, her ability to foresee events yet to be has been clouded recently. Cream and Big watched Cheese and Chocola scamper about with Froggy. Rouge just stood by Shadow, pondering on whether or not it would be wise to make off with the Master Emerald if they got out of this alive.

"Awwww, Cheese likes Chocola," Cream smiled. Cheese was skipping after Chocola not unlike a little girl who just saw a boy whom she fancied.

"Wow, you're right," Big said. "Look, Froggy!" But Froggy was nowhere to be seen. "Froggy? Not again." Then, Big's ears picked up a strange sound: a 'ribbit', but it sounded strained, frantic. It came from over Big's head. He looked up, and was horrified at the sight: Froggy was held up by an unnatural force. His yellow eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from the pain he was experiencing.

"FROGGY!" Big cried, reaching up for the frog. Whatever force held Froggy lifted him higher, out of Big's reach. Big prepared his fishing rod, then hesitated. He would hurt Froggy with the hook on the lure.

"_What's wrong, Big?_" sneered the Metal Overlord sadistically. "_Too high for you?_"

Big glared at Metal, "Let me have Froggy back!"

"_Very well_," gnarled the blue dragon, and Froggy lowered into Big's arms. But something seemed wrong with him. His whole demeanor seemed different, angrier. His eyes had a red gleam in them, one that made Big tilt his head confusedly. Then, Froggy pounced at Big's head.

Cream and Amy paid Big and Froggy no mind when the Overlord returned him, but the resounding thud told them something: Big fell over. They looked over; Froggy was latched onto Big's head, and seemed to be attacking him viciously.

"Big/Mr. Big!" Amy and Cream shouted. Froggy glared up at them. They saw that he had a yellow ball attached to a pinkish-red string hanging from his mouth. After a moment of incomprehension, they realized it was one of Big's eyes; somehow, Froggy had received the urge to rip it out.

Big sat up, blood running from his right eye-socket and staining his white muzzle red. Amy and Cream could see his brain through the hole where his eye was. He had a look of great pain and horror on his face. "Froggy, why'd you do that?"

Froggy answered with a bloody explosion. Big, Cream, and Amy shielded themselves from the shower of frog-gore.

"What's happening, Amy?" Cream asked through tears. Amy hugged the young rabbit to comfort her.

"I don't kn-- LOOK OUT!" Amy pulled Cream down to the ground as two small objects leapt toward Big. Once they were clear, Amy and Cream looked up as the two things ran towards Big. They realized that it was Cheese and Chocola; their eyes had a red gleam in them as well. Amy turned Cream away, not wanting Cream to see the carnage...or whatever the two possessed Chao could do.

Cheese leapt past Big, towards his discarded fishing rod. Big just stood there trying to come to terms with what was happening. Cheese spun the fishing rod in circles, then let the line shoot out. It circled around Big's neck, and Big let out a half-gasp, half-choke of shock. Chocola caught the other end of the hook by the lure.

Amy clenched her eyes shut.

The two Chao pulled as hard as possible.

Big's head flew straight up from his shoulders, spinning slowly through the air. His body sagged to the ground just moments before his head slumped onto the metal ground. His neck let out a few extra spurts of blood before his body collapsed and Big was reunited with Froggy.

Suddenly, Cheese and Chocola returned to normal. When they saw what the Metal Overlord made them do, they began shrieking, "CHAAAAOOOO!" over and over again.

"_Thank you, my young Chao_," hissed the Metal Overlord. "_Because of your willingness to open your minds to me, and for the efficiency of the job you did, I shall give you your rewards!_" He raised His claw, pointing it at them.

"**NOOOOOO!**" screamed Cream, running toward the two Chao. She knelt between Metal and the Chao as the Overlord fired a blast of green Chaos Fire at Cheese and Chocola.

"DON'T, CREAM!" Amy cried, running towards the young rabbit and the Chao. "YOU'LL BE--..."

A tremendous blast of green light blinded Amy. She shielded her eyes from the blast just a few yards in front of her. After a few seconds, the blast faded; yet, Amy lacked the courage to see the aftermath. After several seconds of arguing with herself, Amy looked up at what was there...or rather, what _wasn't_ there.

The entire area where Cream and the Chao were was decimated. The two levels beneath were eradicated, and Amy could see the Egg Pawns within looking up in disbelief. Cream and the Chao were nowhere to be seen.

A tear rolled down Amy's face. Then, her eyebrows lowered in pure hatred as she leveled her gaze on the Metal Overlord. Rouge and Shadow had looks of unease on their faces; and this is saying something, since Shadow is hardly ever uneasy.

"**YOU BASTARD!**" Amy shrieked, tears rolling down her face. "**SHE WAS ONLY SIX YEARS OLD! AND YOU WENT AGAINST YOUR DEAL!**"

The Metal Overlord was unfazed by Amy's anger. "_I did no such thing, hedgehog! Myself and Sonic agreed that you would not be harmed if he returned within 10 minutes, but he failed to specify that I couldn't harm you to entertain myself in the meantime!_"

The two hedgehogs and Rouge looked up at the blue dragon. Shadow had to commend Metal for the loophole that He found. Shadow himself had found the loophole, but only hoped that Sonic had found it. His fears were amplified when Sonic didn't acknowledge the loophole, and Shadow knew at once that Sonic did not even notice it.

Amy turned to face Shadow and Rouge. They saw sadness in her puffy eyes and tears running down her face, but were stunned by the sheer hate burning in her green eyes.

"C'mon, guys!" Amy growled. "Help me teach this son of a bitch a lesson!"

The Metal Overlord cackled malevolently. "_You fools! None of you can defeat me! Even the ultimate life form can't stop me!_"

"Hmph! We'll see about that!" Amy snarled. She didn't wait for anything; she threw her Piko Piko Hammer straight at the Metal Overlord. He batted it away as if it were nothing. The hammer flew out into the great storm that surrounded them, where it was vaporized by the bolts of lightning.

The six pipes connecting the blue dragon to the tower snapped, and He sprouted a pair of great wings. With a great flap, He launched into the air. He circled overhead like a goliath bird of prey, then descended rapidly towards them. He landed before them with a crash that shook the entire vessel.

"You useless hunk of junk!" Shadow snorted, leaping at the Master Emerald lodged in the dragon's chest like a heart. The Metal Overlord didn't even resist as Shadow clung to the great jewel and shouted, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

Shadow entered Chaos Control in a flash of green light. He leapt back to the ground, facing the immobile Overlord. While in Chaos Control, Shadow could do anything to Metal, then observe his handiwork when he reverted to real-time.

"Chaos Spear!" Shadow launched several yellow spears of energy at the Metal Overlord. Then the Overlord moved! But how? Shadow was still in Chaos Control. Then he realized: Metal Sonic copied his ultimate life form data, so He could use Chaos Control too! The blue leviathan raised His hand, and the yellow spears changed direction, bolting towards Shadow.

Shadow had no time to do anything. The bolts of energy ripped into his body, tearing his flesh, boiling his blood, rending his organs, snapping his bones. When it was over, Shadow (or what was left of him) lay in a bloody heap before the Metal Overlord. His last thought in the mortal realm was: _Maria..._

To Rouge and Amy, Shadow vanished in a flash of green light, and reappeared lying before them. It took all of Amy and Rouge's willpower not to retch. Shadow was ripped to pieces while in Chaos Control; the edges of his skin had cauterized in places. A pool of fresh blood oozed from his wounds, nearly reaching their feet. They knew he was in a better place now, with Maria.

"_What a fool_," growled the Metal Overlord. "_His arrogance born of the fact that he was the ultimate life form led to his death. He is nothing but a speck of dust compared to my power. I am the _true_ ultimate life form!_

"_You young fools haved served your purpose, whatever it was. Now, you shall perish._" The Overlord raised His hand, firing great bolts of green lightning from His fingertips. Rouge flew into the air; Amy jumped up and grabbed her feet when she reached a good altitude. But that good altitude wasn't good enough. Metal Overlord raised His hand, the lightning flying straight for Rouge. The green bolts scorched her fur and skin; her clothes were set aflame.

Rouge's back arched as she let out a scream of agony. Amy let go of Rouge's flailing feet without thinking. Amy knew that she might break something from this fall; still, it was better than dying. Amy landed with a soft thud on the ground. Amy was surprised that she didn't break anything. She _did_ fall nearly 30 feet.

Amy looked up at Rouge, and immediately wished that she didn't. The bolts of green lightning held Rouge suspended in midair, so strong was the electrical current ravaging her body. Amy could see Rouge's bones glowing through her skin. The onslaught intensified, and Rouge's screams ceased. Amy could see her skin stretched taut, her clothes hanging over her violently spasming form in burnt shreds. Amy found herself transfixed with the horror unfolding before her. Suddenly, a flash of green light surrounded Rouge, and the lightning blinked out of existence like a switch was thrown. All that was left of Rouge was a cloud of ash that even now was being blown away on the wind.

"NO!" Amy screamed.

"_Heh heh heh!_" the Metal Overlord chuckled. "_Four down, one to go!_"

Amy whispered under her breath, "C'mon, Sonic! If you don't get here in time, there won't _be_ anyone to save."

"_Now, young Rose_," hissed the blue dragon in front of her, pointing His claw at Amy. "_You will die._"

It all happened so fast; a blast of Chaos Fire launched from the Metal Overlord's claw. Just before it eradicated Amy, a bolt of yellow lightning, a blue tornado, and a ball of blood-red fire redirected its course. The Chaos Fire smashed into one of the large missile turrets nearby, disintegrating it.

Then, a familiar voice spoke:

"Yo, big, blue, and ugly! Lookin' for us?"

****

TO BE CONTINUED...

(**Notes:** Whew! That took some time gettin' to. I apologize for the wait, but a number of circumstances kept me reading on but not writing for it. I was so wrapped up in reading that I nearly lost interest in writing altogether. Besides, I got a screenname at as ZaphodKenobi, where I posted my first _Star Wars_ fanfic, _Ultimate Revenge of the Sith_. Look for that here on in the not-so-near future.

As a note to all my faithful readers, this will be the last update you see in a while. I signed up for _both_ Advanced Placement classes at my high school (US History and Literature), and I got a TON of summer work, which includes reading _four_ books! I deeply regret my lack of updates here, but I must keep up with my work at school. You wouldn't want me to repeat my junior year, would you?

And ProblemChild, if you're reading this, don't worry. I'll get back to _Mao-Chan: Volume I_ soon. I'm just having difficulties concentrating on Chapter 12. I'll get it finished eventually! I am also preoccupied with the second installment in the _Story of Kusanagi-sama: The War of the Gods_. I have the first four chapters written, though in need of revision. The other six chapters are in the planning stages. Keep your eyes peeled!

I had the misfortune of seeing _Seed of Chucky_ recently. It was interesting though, as I saw Billy Boyd and Brad Dourif in a certain blockbuster trilogy. If you noticed my homage to _Seed of Chucky_, congratulations!)


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